The December issue of W magazine features a glamorous photo of Demi Moore in a bronze, armor-like leotard, with a scarf draped across her hips.
However, there’s one glaring error: a Photoshop artist clearly erased a couple of inches off of the portion of her hips not hidden by the scarf, yet they neglected to make sure the edit matched the rest of her leg. The editing would be laughable in its poor quality if it didn’t raise such depressing questions about the state of women.
In an interview with Usmagazine.com, Mariah Carey complained about the low-glamour look she took on for her role as a social worker in the film Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.
Carey wears no make-up and shows no sign of spending thousands of dollars on outfits or hairstyling. The role seems a perfect opportunity for an actress to express her natural femininity. Instead, blogs and magazines have delighted in her trauma at not being paraded and dressed up.
‘I drank some ugly juice,’ Carey said in the interview.
The irony of Carey’s dismay at her lack of glamour in a film that criticizes women’s oppression is delicious.
On campus, there are plenty of women who reinforce this double standard by walking to class in stilettos and spending an hour styling their hair or doing their make-up instead of studying or spending time with friends.
Celebrity blogs are ready to shoot down women who have fun with their makeup with the excuse of looking less-than-anorexic, and we all have friends who snicker from afar at anyone who looks less than perfect. There are certainly social and personal benefits to upholding personal standards of fitness, hygiene and aesthetics, but is this constant sniping of women’s bodies really necessary?
Society needs to cherish the beautiful and natural faces that women wake up with every morning.
